Never Trust Wealthy Businessmen That You Meet in a Supermarket
by then00b12
Summary: Tae draws another stalker! And this stalker is more determined that any person she's ever pursued her, and he's willing to initialize evil tactics to eliminate his competition. A GinTae fic. Rated T for some mild swearing. Chapter 3 is out! The Grand Finale!
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Note: Because I've been inspired by recently published GinTae fics, I've decided to write one of my own. So please do enjoy! _**

_Why can't I tell him?_

Tae pounded her fists on her forehead as she questioned herself for the umpteenth time.

_Why is it that I can only talk to him when Shin-chan is around? _

Tae paced around, searching for answers to eradicate her predicament, but to no avail. She has been thinking about him a lot more recently. Her heart skips a beat every time she daydreams about Gintoki and his broad shoulders, his eyes, despite appearing drowsy, so full of life, joy and pain. She thought of his smile, a mix of an arrogant, lazy, good-for-nothing man with callous disregard for his actions. It was something that only she could fall in love with.

Tae halted her furious pacing. She stopped at a grocery store; fruits of various kinds, from all over the universe were on full display. Half price here, twenty percent off there; she didn't really pay much attention. Her face turned tomato red as the strawberries she was looking at as she recounted the moments of Gintoki saving her from the abduction of Kyubei. Not only did he save her, but he resolved the entire conflict and helped Kyubei look to be more feminine.

Still gazing at the strawberries, she thought,

_Maybe I can make him a strawberry cake and parfait? I could spend more time with him this way. _

She bit her lip as she clenched her fist in determination. Her brown eyes widened as she became more and sure of herself and her goal. Her face became chili pepper red as she got a basket of strawberries and hurried to the checkout.

Tae did not pay heed to her surroundings as she and another person accidentally collided. The basket of strawberries she picked out for Gintoki all fell onto the floor.

Tae became frustrated.

"Watch where you're going!" She yelled in fury. Her bright blushing face now mixed with the red fury of anger.

The man that she ran into did not seem fazed by Tae's anger.

"Ma'am, I am incredibly sorry for my action. I had no intention of knocking your fruits over."

The man wore a smile. He wore a dark dress shirt and pants. He was very lanky person, his arms and legs looked like branches of a willowing tree. He had bowl-cut, cardboard brown hair. His glasses could not conceal the pale white eyes that he had.

Tae fumed. She bit her lip as she glanced at the ruined strawberries. She was gonna have to go pick new ones all over again to bake that cake.

"I will pay for your new strawberries and compensate for any other damage that I may have done to you. Here is my business card, have the grocery store bill any expenses directly to this address."

Tae did not speak to him. She took the card from his fingertips and turned around and walked away.

Brown hair, pink kimono, pleasant woman, could she be the one? The man thought to himself. He smiled as he pulled out his phone. It was shiny, rectangular and fit into the palm of his hand, brand new Amanto technology. Typing a few messages, his smile widened as he recounted the previous incident in his mind.

Peeking through the aisles, he caught a glimpse of Tae leaving the store.

His phone let out a ring. It was message.

The man instantly checked the message. He smiled as he read the contents.

"Sir, the woman you requested: Brown hair, pink kimono. Upon extensive research, this is our conclusion."

Another message beeped onto his phone. The man made no hesitation to read it, a picture message.

It showed a snapshot of Tae's face.

"_Name: Shimura Tae _

_Age: Approximately 18 or older_

_Occupation: Lead Hostess at Snack Smile _

_Home: Koudoukan Dojo" _

The man grinned as he put his phone back into his pocket.

Meanwhile, Tae stormed outside the shop. She was furious about what happened in that store. Her anger made her want to punch the man that knocked over the strawberries for Gin-san but she refrained from doing so, after all, he was very skinny; she'd probably break his bones.

She looked at the business card that she held in her hand.

Nakada Corporations: Nakada Utamara, President. This was followed by an address and a phone number.

_A rich man that owes me a favor? I should milk this cash cow for all its worth. _

Tae smiled as she thought of a plan.

_Maybe I don't have to bake him a cake, maybe I could just invite him, Kagura-chan and Shin-chan to a night out. That might work for us. _

**Han's Barbeque **

"Cheers!" Gintoki exclaimed in joy. His face was bright red from the alcohol he had chugged down.

"Calm down, Gin-san!" Kagura fussed.

"Yeah, Gin-san. If you start acting reckless again, somebody might end up pranking you like last day," Shinpachi hinted at a previous incidence.

Gintoki calmed his exuberant attitude. He stared right at Tae. She was one of the major players in that demeaning game.

Tae looked away. Those few moments, when they acted as a couple, where she was free to express her feelings for him were one of her many favorite moments together.

"Enjoy whatever you guys want, it's all on me!" Tae exclaimed, ignoring Gintoki's death stare.

"Eh, Sister. What's the special occasion? Have you met a man or something?" Shinpachi questioned his sister.

"Yes! Big sis, if you have, be sure to introduce him to us!" Kagura nodded in agreement. She was too busy hording down bowls upon bowls of rice.

_If only you all knew…_

Tae looked at Gintoki, who has immersed himself into his next snack. Gintoki looked up from his meal, "You finally dating that Gorilla?" he joked.

Tae shook her head as she denied the claims.

_If only you knew, Gintoki. _

**Nakada Corporation, President's Office. **

Utamara sat lazily in his chair. He counted the revolutions of the times he's twirled his pen.

A knock on his door.

"Come in."

His secretary came in, holding a piece of paper in her hand.

"What is it?" he vented at her.

"Nakada-san…" the secretary quivered in fear as she tried to talk to her boss.

"Spit it out. Every second of mine you waste from this point on, I'll deduct from your annual salary and bonuses."

The secretary froze in fear.

"A Barbeque restaurant sent a bill to you, sir. It has your business card, sir." She handed a bill to Utamara.

Utamara snatched the bill from her hands then shooed her away.

Han's Barbeque? He thought to himself as he looked over the contents. He analyzed the business card: It was the one he gave to the pretty lady the previous day. Does this mean she accepts him? Utamara convinced himself she did.

"Total: 451,247 Yen." Utamara smiled, she must've had a good time.

"Customers: 4" Utamara stroked his chin. He pulled out his cellphone. He typed a message on it and then sent it.

"Find out who the other three are that went to Han's Barbeque are aside from Tae, reply to me ASAP."

Utamara continued to twirl his pen around his fingers. He wondered to himself, does this Tae have a family? Surely not, she appears way too young.

His phone vibrated three times on his desk. This signified three messages. Utamara checked over the contents.

"_Name: Shimura Shinpachi _

_Occupation: Freelancer _

_Home: Koudoukan Dojo"_

This message also showed a shot of Shinpachi's face. His glasses wearing a person body shot was also shown.

Her younger sibling? Utamara thought to himself. He pondered if the next two were the parents as he opened the next message.

_"Name: Kagura _

_Occupation: Freelancer_

_Home: Yorozuya Gin-chan. Located above Snack Otose _

_Other information: She is an Amanto"_

Utamara raised an eyebrow as he saw a snapshot of Kagura. Her ever familiar buns that she wore around her head and her pleasant smile. And finally, he opened the last message. Probably just an acquaintance, he dismissed.

"_Name: Sakata Gintoki _

_Occupation: Freelancer_

_Home: Yorozuya Gin-chan. Located above Snack Otose _

_Other information: Former Joui patriot."_

Utamara frowned as he saw the picture of Gintoki. A silver haired man with a dead fish eyes. What is this man's relationship with Tae? Former Joui patriot? This man isn't someone that he should let his guard down around.

He smiled as a plan formulated inside his mind.

First, I will 'observe' Tae. I will track her movements, the places she goes, and the people she meets and to see if that silver-haired bastard is really of any importance to her, Utamara thought to himself.

**Koudoukan Dojo: Shimura Residence**

The crickets chirped away in the night. A slight breeze rustled the collar on Utamara's neck. Drips of sweat fell from his forehead as he observed Tae.

Tae was eating her dinner, leaning on her left hand while picking out food with a pair of chopsticks on her right. Tae seemed distracted, not paying heed to the food displayed in front of her.

Tae sighed. "Come out from there. I know you're hiding from me."

Utamara froze as he immediately hid himself. How could I be caught so quickly?

"Otae-san, how do you always know?" a voice popped up from one of the cabinets. It was a man with a deep voice, Utamara observed.

"You gorilla freak," Tae shook her head. "When will you ever give up? I'm just not interested in you."

Utamara peeked to see who she was talking to. He saw a tall, tan, human-looking like gorilla.

"Otae-san! I know you do not see your love for me now but I believe that one day you will come to your senses!" Kondo proudly declared.

"Kondo-san. Your persistence is admirable but I'd ask that you leave me alone. I currently have a lot in my mind right now."

"I, Isao Kondo, am the Commander of the Shinsengumi! I will not stop until I have won your love!" Kondo said boldly.

Utamara felt a shiver down his neck as he realized who Kondo was. Commander of the almighty Shinsengumi? He was dealing with some pretty tough competition. Former Joui patriot? Commander of the Shinsengumi?

A shift in Utamara's personality. Tae really is an interesting person, he thought.

And with that, he left.

**Utamara's Home: 5 Days Later **

Utamara was scheming. His obsession with Tae grew as each second passed. He soon became infatuated with her, keeping track of everything she does, wherever she goes, like a beast tracking and hunting its prey before going in for the final kill.

During this time period, Utamara has done some research. He has come to the conclusion that there are four competitors for Tae's love.

One was Utamara himself, obviously.

Second was Yagyuu Kyubei, a famous childhood friend, female cross-dresser who acts like a male. Utamara has come to the conclusion that despite Kyubei's affection towards Tae, that it is only reciprocated under the terms of friendship. Unrequited love.

Third was Isao Kondo, the Commander of the famous Shinsengumi. Kondo continuously stalks Tae on a routine basis, always getting caught by her. Utamara has come to the conclusion that Tae does not harbor any feelings for this man. Her persistence and rejection of his love is crucial to this conclusion. More unrequited love.

Finally, fourth and foremost, Sakata Gintoki. This man was the most peculiar. He is essentially a jobless bum that cannot even afford the rent for his home/business. Yet, this man, despite his putrid habits, picking his nose in the public, skipping on bills and being a cheapskate buffoon, seems to win Tae's attention every single time. Despite being around him with her brother and a young girl, she seems to focus the most attention to him. What is he to her?

Utamara bit his lip hard at the thought of one of the possible outcomes to this scenario. He tasted blood on the tip of the tongue as he calculated another solution to this problem.

Following Tae around also has helped him gain insightful information to all his potential rivals. He was gonna use all this information to his advantage.

Utamara was a rich man. This was a characteristic that he could utilize to his advantage to eliminate his competition.

He sat alone in his room. The curtains were closed, creating a dark atmosphere. He had to get rid of the potential threats, one by one, until he was the only logical option for Tae.

Organize, Prioritize, Initialize.

He had to follow those steps to win over Tae.

Organize: Three threats, each must be handled accordingly and differently. Each threat must be handled differently. One simultaneous blow to eliminate all three will be too much for Tae, and logically impossible given the power and skill of most of the threats. He must take them down one by one.

Each three are skilled with the sword. Considering one is from the famed Yagyuu Clan, the other a captain of the Shinsengumi, and the last a soldier from a war.

A light bulb went off in Utamara's head.

Observing that despicable Gintoki had made him realize something, the man carried around a wooden sword. If memory serves correctly, there is a sword ban for civilians and rogue samurai. Considering that the Yagyuu are affiliated with the Government and the Shinsengumi are allowed to bear arms, Kyubei and Kondo can be excluded from this part of the plan.

Gintoki, however, was not. He is a civilian at best. Him carrying around a wooden sword, even in broad daylight, was clear defiance of the law.

Getting him arrested and thrown into jail would be no problem for Utamara. Small fry like him can be disposed with ease.

As for Kyubei and Kondo, those two have to be removed from Tae separately.

I can form a joint relationship with the Yagyuu Clan and my company. With this, I can strengthen the newly formed relationship by having Kyubei accompany one of my associates to a foreign country to seal a business deal. I'll be sure to extend this process as long as I can, thought Utamara as he formed new ripples to the plan.

As for Kondo, I could send him to the coastal city of Chiba and have him and his fellow police officers look for a pet I somehow "lost" while enjoying the seaside view. Paying the Shinsengumi a very large deposit should get them mobilizing at once.

Utamara smiled. He had now organized the plan to eliminate the suitors of Tae. The next step was to prioritize them: which one will cause him to expend the most resources and energy?

Get an arrest warrant for Gintoki and come up with a sob story to get the Shinsengumi going and offer them a ton of money, this was all something he could get his assistants to do.

Dealing with the Yagyuu would require his efforts personally.

Utamara sighed a breath of relief. He had Organized and Prioritized the upcoming tasks ahead. Now all he had to do was the final step of the plan.

Initialize.

_**Author's Note: This concludes Chapter 1! Will Utamara succeed? Will Kabukichou ever be the same? Am I shamelessly promoting the fic more through the use of the Author's Notes? I am... Hope you enjoyed it so far. **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: Thanks everyone for the reviews! They mean a lot! **_

Tae was walking home from Snack Smile, another long day at work. Cleaning the wallets of scores of customers with subtle actions and gestures was one of her many ploys to make easy money. At least today that creep didn't visit her at work.

For the past few days, the wealthy man she ran into almost a week ago had visited her at work. He had been very touchy and straightforward in his approach to her. She had turned him down politely and treated him like a customer but he was very insisting. But luckily she has not seen him today.

However, Tae had a very uneasy feeling throughout the day. She had the feeling something ominous was looming about.

**Shinsengumi Headquarters**

Kondo scratched his beard. He was deliberating the case presented in front of him.

"So you want the Shinsengumi to do what?" Kondo asked the man.

The man wore a nice kimono, his hair was neatly groomed.

"My master, Nakada Utamara, President of Nakada Corporations, has lost a treasured pet of his while he was fishing in Chiba. He would like to request the Shinsengumi to assist in finding the pet. He is willing to pay for your time and effort and has offered a down payment of ¥ 5,000,000 towards the Shinsengumi. The reward for finding his lost pet is ¥ 50,000,000 on top of the ¥ 5,000,000 he has already promised. This reward comes with the contingency that the Commander of the Shinsengumi himself take part of this search." The man answered.

Kondo considered the offer. In the midst of his thought, he was poked on the shoulder by Okita Sougo.

"Kondo-san."

"What is it, Sougo?"

"Take the offer. The things we can do with ¥ 55,000,000 is unimaginable. I can buy that bazooka to kill Hijikata-san; you can buy sweets for your beloved Otae, and we could use any leftover money to help with any renovations of the headquarters."

Kondo seemed to be swayed by Sougo's opinion. His reluctance soon turned to utmost confidence.

Kondo nodded his head.

"I, Commander of the Shinsengumi, will assist your master in his goal to find his pet!" Kondo boldly declared.

Kondo happily skipped around the Headquarters, picking men to take part of the search.

The man faced Sougo and asked him a question.

"I also have another request from my master…"

"Another request?" Sougo seemed curious enough.

"My master wants a man arrested. He finds this man a menace to the public. My master also believes that this man has violated the Sword Ban Law on civilians. He would also pay you, Captain, a very large lump of money if this man was to be taken off the streets. As for any litigation and prosecution, my master will handle that. He just needs you to get him behind bars as soon as possible."

"And may I ask who this man is?"

"Sakata Gintoki."

**Yagyuu Clan Household **

Yagyuu Koshinori bowed to the lanky man.

"On behalf of the Yagyuu Clan, we welcome you, Nakada-san."

Utamara smiled.

"No need for formalities, Yagyuu-san." He bowed back to the petite man.

"To what honor do we have to have the Nakada in our household?" Koshinori asked as he seated his guest.

"I would like to extend an olive branch to the Yagyuu Clan. You see, Nakada Corporations, an intergalactic company like mine, needs connections with a great and well managed family like yours to extend its reach." Utamara answered.

Koshinori nodded. He considered the benefits and cons of this partnership. He looked at his daughter, Kyubei, who was sitting next to him to see if she had any opinion.

Utamara sensed the tension.

"And to prove my sincerity, I have brought many gifts." Utamara gestured to his men. The men then began unloading fine china, porcelain, expensive jewelry, and various expensive silk.

Koshinori seemed convinced by the gratitude of Utamara. The shaking of his head soon turned to a nod.

"I, as a representative for the Yagyuu, welcome you to our partnership!" Koshinori stood up to shake Utamara's hand.

Utamara grinned as he acknowledged the partnership. He eyed Kyubei as he got up to shake her father's hand.

"I have a request, Yagyuu-san." Utamara asked as he shook Koshinori's hand.

"Hm?" Koshinori seemed fazed by the sudden request.

"It's nothing really. One of my representatives is going overseas later today to close a big transaction. This deal will bring us much profit for years to come! I want your child, Yagyuu Kyubei, to join my representatives to close this deal. Just another sign of my gratitude."

Kyubei stood up and leaned in to her father's ear.

"Father, I don't feel comfortable with the way these events have been transpiring." She whispered.

Koshinori exhaled deeply.

"Kyubei. First off, don't you ever call me Father again, call me Papi or Daddy. And second of all, you should join Nakada-san's representative's business trip. It would be a reasonable way for you to gain some experience handling situations that may arise in the future." Koshinori replied to his daughter.

Kyubei said nothing. She followed the samurai code and obeyed her father.

She got up and followed Utamara and his men.

Utamara couldn't help but contain his devious smile.

Tae will soon be mine, he thought to himself.

* * *

Gintoki was strolling down the streets of Kabukichou, daydreaming about the weather girl while picking his nose with his pinkie while wondering about the day's events.

A customer came in the other day, really weird, nice hair and kimono, and offered the Yorozuya a ludicrous amount of money as a down payment to go to some sea town to look for a pet.

Reaching the gold in his nose, it gathered on his finger. Gintoki casually observed it; the shininess of this gold befuddled him. How could his nose make such a shiny booger and with one giant flick of his finger, the beloved gold rocketed out his finger and landed in the mouth of a Shinsengumi officer yelling his name.

"Sakata Gintoki-"the gold flew into his mouth.

The badminton loving Shinsengumi officer collapsed backwards, his arms around his throat, harvesting the gold.

"Yamazaki!" another Shinsengumi shouted in dismay.

Yamazaki still lying on the ground with a hand over his throat, pointed at Gintoki.

"Sakata Gintoki, you are under arrest for violation of the Sword Ban!"

"What?" Gintoki muttered in confusion as two Shinsengumi officers handcuffed him.

"You have the right to remain silent; anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…" an officer read him his rights as Gintoki was led away.

* * *

Utamara sat in his seat in his room. He licked his lips several times as he played around his pen.

A knock on the door of his office.

"Come in."

His assistant entered the room. He squinted at the darkness that enveloped the room.

"What is it, Hiroya?"

"Sir, everything that you have ordered me to do has been completed."

"The Yagyuu girl?" Utamara wanted to confirm.

"Overseas. Your representatives are continuously relaying information on the status of the samurai girl."

"The Head of the Shinsengumi?"

"In Chiba. Our couriers over there leading him around have confirmed this fact."

"The two children from the Yorozuya?"

"Also sent on a long journey to search for something that didn't exist. They won't be back for quite the while."

"The silver haired Samurai?"

"He's behind bars at the moment. With your persistence, he will soon be prosecuted and be put away forever."

Utamara smiled at Hiroya. Everything in his plan was working so smoothly.

The smile scared Hiroya, the jagged, crooked and yellow teeth paired well with his boss's pale skin in presenting a scary figure.

"What do you plan on doing next, sir?" he gulped.

Utamara held his smile, creeping Hiroya out even more.

"The final stage, where the predator catches his prey and feasts upon it." Utamara answered as he waved his assistant away.

* * *

It was Tae's day off.

Waking up early in the morning, she thought of maybe visiting Gintoki at his home but quickly turned down the idea.

_Would that make me too direct? _

She hadn't seen Shinpachi, Gintoki, Kagura or even Kondo in the past couple of days.

Maybe Shinpachi and Kagura had a job to do and Kondo had some duties to attend to, Tae thought to herself.

But Tae realized something after all this, the isolation of not seeing her younger brother after long nights at the cabaret or a pleasant visitor while she was at work by her faithful stalker.

She felt lonely. Was her life really that empty? Did she really depend on these people to make herself feel secure? This empty feeling inside her was not something she liked so she decided to make a move.

After much deliberation, she decided to visit the Yorozuya, see what they were up to. After completing her morning routines, she set off to see the trio.

She stopped right at the doorstep of her home as a worry popped into her head.

_Should I bring something? It would be rude for me to go see Gin-san empty handed? _

The occurring thought made her rethink the visit. She decided she'll cook something for Gintoki and them. She turned around and headed for the kitchen. Another thought popped up in her head.

_Would making him something make it appear that I'm too direct? _The dilemma was too much for her.

A compromise was made in her head.

_I'll bake something and say it's for everyone! _Tae clapped her hands as she rejoiced the idea.

I never finished baking that cake for him, she thought.

* * *

**Yorozuya Gin-chan**

Tae was at the front steps of the Yorozuya, Gintoki's home. Her heart was pounding as she knocked on the door.

No response.

She heard whispers inside the home.

"Gin-san? Kagura-chan?"

No response.

She opened the sliding door and walked inside. She saw that darkness has consumed the entire Yorozuya.

"Gin-san?" she called out as she ventured further into the Yorozuya.

No response.

Tae was now standing in the middle of the living room, facing Gintoki's desk. The chair that he usually sat in faced the wall. There was someone sitting in the chair, leaning back casually and making a motion with a hand towards his face, possibly picking his nose. She caught a glimpse of silver hair, though the color was faded and not vibrant as she recalled.

"Gin-san?" Tae walked closer to the seat and put the cake down on one of the living room tables.

"He's gone forever." The voice responded. Tae recognized as oddly familiar but somehow ominous, and definitely not Gin-san's.

Tae walked up closer and turned the rolling chair around.

"Surprise!" the voice responded.

Tae recoiled in fear as she saw who it was, the creepy, wealthy man.

It was Nakada Utamara. He pulled off the silver wig that he wore and lunged at Tae, jumping like a cheetah attacking its prey. His lanky figure allowed him to climb over the desk and at Tae with ease. Tae reacted quickly, putting a right hook onto the jaw of Utamara. Her superhuman strength sent him crashing onto the ground.

"What have you done with Gin-san?" Tae yelled at him, landing the blow made her feel as if she had an advantage in the situation.

Utamara gathered himself, trying to stand up after the devastating blow. Twice he fell back to his knees, unable to stand. He rubbed his left cheek, wincing as he felt the pain rush through his face. He tasted something salty in his lips and felt warmness in his hand. He took his hand off his face and stared at it, curiously inspecting what that warmness was.

It was blood.

Blood had begun to pour out of his mouth uncontrollably. Utamara felt his senses tighten up, his vision narrowed, his breathing heavy, his heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, and the pain in his cheek. He stared at Tae. This woman, his obsession, his love, his enemy, possessed such strength. And she was giving him such a menacing stare down. Her brown eyes filled with worry, lighting up so beautifully in the dark room, will be his and his only, Utamara is loving every moment of this.

"WHERE'S GIN-SAN?!" She screamed at him.

Utamara smiled at Tae. The blood flowed even through the cracks of his crooked, jagged teeth. His pale eyes bright with hunger and lust, his passion for Tae burning like a bonfire.

"I put him away, forever." Utamara laughed.

Tae could not accept that answer; she refused to believe it. She went on the offensive and with lightning speed, jumped at Utamara. With him still on the ground, in a position similar to that of man praying, she landed a powerful kick, like a footballer kicking a ball, to his ribs

Utamara didn't even see it coming. A crack echoed the room as Utamara spat out more blood. That was a very painful injury, nearly lethal to the point of death. His life now hung by a string. Now he was scared. He whispered two words.

"Get her."

Tae turned around as she heard the movement of bodies and the clanging of swords.

She was greeted by scores of men, all whom were hiding, armed with swords, spears, and daggers.

Amongst one of them, there was a man, Tae noticed, hiding in the darkness. He held a weapon, completely different to that of those around her.

He had a gun and it was pointed at her.

"Take her down." Utamara mumbled.

The goons grasped their weapons and inched closer to Tae.

"Stop."

It was the man hidden in the shadows. The goons laid at ease as they waited to his reason.

"Do not touch this maiden, for disposing of her would do your master very much harm. We must take that care of her for your master's enjoyment in the most elite of ways. I, myself, am fully capable of assuaging this situation with swiftness, for I am elite."

He fired the gun.

Tae couldn't react. All this happened too quickly. However, after the gunshot, she felt no pain. Nothing in her body hurt, did his shot miss her perhaps? Then she felt a sting on her right arm, a quick glance confirmed there was a sharp needle piercing through her kimono.

"A paralyzing poison, Miss Shimura." The man in the shadows explained.

"You will be elitely paralyzed from now on, your entire body immobile. Though the poison won't inhibit your ability to talk for a few minutes or so, once it takes away your vocal skills elitely, then you will be knocked out completely."

"You won't get away with this! Gin-san will get all of you! I know people from the Yagyuu, the Shinsengumi…" she collapsed onto the floor. She laid like a discombobulated doll on the floor, unable to move.

"Your heroes won't save you now. Isao Kondo? Yagyuu Kyubei? Sakata Gintoki? Taken care of." Utamara spoke. He was coughing more and more blood now as he was lifted up by two of his goons.

"What are you talking about?" Tae tried to yell from her position.

Two goons lifted the lifeless body of Tae, her knees glued onto the floor, supported by two men grasping her arms to keep her from slumping down onto the ground. A strong hand pushed her chin up, forcing her to stare at Utamara eye to eye. Both of them were unable to move.

"Kondo is gone, sent him off to Chiba to look for some fake pet of mine. Kyubei? I convinced her father to ship her overseas through some bogus that my representatives and her are closing a business deal. Your pesky brother and that little China girl? Sent them off too under another bogus customer request for their pathetic little Odd Jobs. Sakata Gintoki? Locked him up in prison. No one can save you now; you are alone. And you are MINE," Utamara exclaimed. He coughed more blood out. The injury was starting to inflict him.

"Sir, please refrain from talking so much, your injury is serious." One of the goons told Utamara.

A figure came running through the door! The wooden sliding door broke and

Tae hoped for a second it was Gintoki, she prayed. He will save me now. He will be my hero. Gintoki will rescue me.

It was Hiroya, Utamara's assistant.

"Sire!" Hiroya exclaimed.

"What is it?" Utamara spat.

"Sakata Gintoki has escaped from prison!" Hiroya announced as he gasped for air. He had ran from the Shinsengumi headquarters to the Yorozuya upon hearing this information.

Murmurs peaked from the goons.

Tae smiled at Utamara. She felt as if she had the upper hand for this brief moment.

"He'll never let you get away with this."

Utamara managed a chuckle.

"This is fun, very fun. I won't touch you until I've disposed of your pathetic 'hero.' I'll take you back to my estate. Then I'll lead your hero there and have my men take care of him, kill him and have them present to me his lifeless body. Then I'll make you mine!" Utamara tried to laugh but he coughed out more blood.

"Try not to talk so much, Mr. Nakada. Straining yourself right now would defeat the purpose of your goal later on." The man from the shadows spoke. He walked up to Utamara, revealing his identity.

He wore a monocle. Dead eyes, white police uniform, and he held a cellphone in his hand, texting away.

Commander of the Mimawarigumi, Sasaki Isaburo.

"Be extra careful with him, gentleman." Sasaki spoke as he typed away on his cellphone. Finishing the message, Sasaki put away his phone into his pocket and turned around to face Tae.

Tae never felt so much fear in her life.

"He's a good man. You should really treasure him before another woman gets him." Sasaki told her as he walked away.

Tae wanted to yell at him, tell him to open those dead eyes of his and look at reality. She couldn't. She wanted to scream for help.

But no one would hear her.

The room began to spin. The people around her soon began to blur.

Then darkness.

_**Author's Note: Why must I always end the Chapter on a cliffhanger?**_

_**Random Reader-chan: Is it because you're a Sadistic Jerkface and torture your audience while they wait for the next chapter? **_

_**Author: (Cries) Yes. I promise to update soon! **_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Author's Note: Thanks so much for all the reviews! Here's Chapter 3, the Grand Finale! _**

**Prison Cell **

Gintoki sat in his cell, back against the wall away from the bars. It was cold; countless times he felt a shiver behind his back because of the gusty winds that blew through the small window.

Gintoki played with the hay that was supposed to be his blanket in this hectic condition and wondered what the outlook of the situation was for him. He was being imprisoned for carrying a sword, a law that he had disobeyed for many years. Gintoki pondered what the charges were for him, how long would he be in prison? Would he be able to persuade the Magistrate that was to oversee his case that it was all misunderstanding and that it was just a toy that he bought from an infomercial? That was a good start to developing the perfect argument.

Diving deep into his thoughts, Gintoki began to think of pleas, arguments, to save him.

Then he heard footsteps approach the cell. Unmoving from his current position, Gintoki just looked ahead with his dead eyes.

The all-too-familiar black Shinsengumi uniform walked past his cell, stopped halfway and turned to face Gintoki. Gintoki looked up and saw the hazelnut haired Captain, Okita Sougo.

It was the sadist.

"How ya doing, boss?" Sougo asked with a smile as he crouched down to meet Gintoki's eye level.

"Terrible, Sofa-san. I'm freezing here. I thought it was supposed to be a hot summer day. That's what the pretty weather girl lady said on TV."

"Oh. That was me. I put an Air Conditioner over that little window above you and turned it up to max. I was afraid that it might've been too stuffy for you in this hot cell." Sougo said with his sadistic smile.

"Asshole! It's freezing in here!" Gintoki snapped at Sougo.

"I know, I know. Sorry about my joke. That's why I brought you this." Sougo pulled out a Strawberry parfait and held it through the bars towards Gintoki.

"Jerk. It's like the Arctic in here and you're offering me a delectable sugary treat?"

"Oh. I guess you don't want it then." Sougo said sarcastically and dumped the parfait onto the dirty jail cell ground.

"YOU SON-OF-A….." Gintoki yelled as he lunged at Sougo. The metal bars were the only things separating them.

"How could you waste a PERFECTLY good strawberry parfait!" Gintoki blasted at Sougo. Gintoki extended his hand through the bars to try to grab Sougo's head, in hopes of grabbing his neck so he can strangle him.

Sougo grabbed Gintoki's hand and pulled himself closer to the cell. They were now eye to eye; Sougo could feel the shiver coming from Gintoki from the cold.

"Listen to me, Boss." Sougo spoke. His tone changed like a flip of a switch. From his jokingly sadistic tone to a more serious and meaningful tone, he eyed Gintoki.

"Some serious shit is going down right now. And if you don't act the right way, some people close to you and me will get hurt."

Gintoki sensed the severity of the issue at hand.

"What is it?"

"It's your beloved Otae."

Gintoki seemed unfazed by the mention of her name.

"What about her?"

"She's going to be kidnapped."

"Kidnapped? Why can't you guys do something about it?"

"Because the man orchestrating this 'kidnapping' holds a lot of power in the financial world and if the Shinsengumi were to mobilize he would know and bad things will happen. This man is not to be messed with. He will not stop until he has captured his prey."

"Prey? Is Otae the prey?"

"Yes. He has become infatuated with her. And if you are a wealthy man with all the time in the world, nothing will stop you."

"What about your leader, Gorilla? I doubt that somebody like him and his honor would let this all transpire."

"Nakada Utamara, that's the name of the man we're discussing here, took great lengths to eliminate any possible suitors of Otae."

"Eliminate? Like kill?"

"He hasn't resorted to those tactics, yet. He's sent off the Yagyuu girl and Kondo-san to separate faraway places under the muse that he's working with them. He's also sent off China and Otae's brother to do a business thing for him. And then he's had us arrest you."

Gintoki did not speak. He merely crouched there, deep into thought.

"Also, he's been following Otae around. He's come to the conclusion that she's in love with not my Commander, nor her childhood friend, but you."

Gintoki's eyes widened as he registered the information.

"Another thing, because of his conclusion, your trial for your offense is scheduled for tomorrow. He's hired one of the best lawyers in all of the lands to be your prosecutor. And the prosecutor will be asking for the Death Penalty, so he's running this operation pretty swiftly. You will be disposed of immediately and by the time that anyone else can do anything, it'll be too late."

"How do you know so much about this? I'm a little suspicious that you know so much of his doings without his knowledge."

"I have my ways. Bottom line right now is for you to get out of your jail cell and go to your home right now."

"And how do you suppose I do that?"

"I have no idea but you have another offense on top of your current one."

"What are you talking about?"

"The offense of assaulting an officer of the Shinsengumi. I can only take you so far; the rest is up to you!"

"What…" Gintoki stammered.

Without hesitating, Sougo recoiled away from the jail cell, still holding Gintoki's hand and slammed his head against the metal bars of the jail cell and lay flat on the ground.

Gintoki, however, knew it was all fabricated to look like he knocked out the Captain. He felt something metal that he clutched in his arm. It was the keys to unlock his jail cell!

Gintoki acted quickly, stumbling around the hay; he unlocked the cell and freed himself. He got out of the cell and began heading for the exit.

"Remember to pick up your sword, Boss." He heard a voice from below him.

Gintoki looked down and saw that Sougo was lying down leisurely with his hands behind his head and preparing himself for a nap.

Gintoki smiled as he ran towards the exit. He passed the officer's room and saw a table in the middle of the room, on it was his beloved wooden sword. He grabbed the sword, strapped it between his kimono and took off for the Yorozuya.

* * *

**Yorozuya **

Gintoki came crashing through the doors of his home. He scanned around his home, looking for Tae. In the corner of his eye, he spotted a spot near the wall where there was a considerable amount of blood present.

Gintoki began to panic. He worried that the blood might be that of Tae's. Frantically, he searched around for anything, anything that could possibly lead him to Tae.

He saw a cake on the table that was in the middle of the living room. Walking up to it, there was a note placed on top of it.

"To the Silver Samurai. Head to the Nakada Estate as soon as you see this. I have your woman hostage. I won't make her mine until I've killed you off. Till Then! – Nakada Utamara"

Gintoki bolted out the Yorozuya, leaping from the second floor of the building complex to the streets of Kabukichou and began sprinting towards the Nakada Estate.

Gintoki never ran so fast before in his life. He knew where the Nakada Estate was, who didn't? The rich man that dealt in shipping with various countries and made billions was well known everywhere in Edo, but to think that he was the one that kidnapped Otae?

Otae…he thought. Was what Sougo said true? Did she really love me? That's absurd, wait, why am I trying so hard? Do I like her too? Gintoki shook his head as he kicked his sprinting into another gear and accelerated even faster towards the Nakada Estate.

Soon he was near the Estate and stopped at a small collection of sub-towns near the Estate, Gintoki took the time to catch his breath and survey the field, formulating a plan to enter the Estate.

It was indeed an Estate fit for a king. There was a buffer zone between the small town and the estate that was dry as a desert that was the length of half a football field. Also, the estate looked like the Shogun's palace and the Estate had high fences that would be difficult to climb without being noticed. So the option was to walk through the front gate. Unfortunately for him, there was a group of thugs that guarded the gates. He had to come up with a strategy to storm the castle.

Gintoki decided to walk calmly through the buffer zone and storm the castle from the front.

The gatekeepers spotted him as soon as he started walking and eyed him during his pleasant stroll towards them.

"Hello, gentleman," Gintoki greeted the thugs. There were five of them and all of them were sizing him up.

"Whaddaya want, punk?" the tallest one spoke. He had a cigarette in his mouth.

"Just coming here to get a friend of mine," Gintoki chuckled nervously. Gintoki was trying to appear weak so that his opponents would underestimate him.

"You scared of us?" another one perked up.

"No, no. Not really," Gintoki stammered.

"Then why you sweating, boy?" another brought up.

Gintoki realized there was sweat over his forehead and neck after the marathon he had just ran. Embarrassed, Gintoki started assaulting the thugs with his wooden sword.

In a matter of seconds, there were disposed of and Gintoki had entered the Estate. Soon, an army of thugs surrounded him, each armed with a sword or a weapon able to cause blunt force trauma.

None of them moved, Gintoki stood still as he saw the two opponents that came to challenge him. Sasaki Isaburo and Hiroya.

"You two?" Gintoki said.

"Hello friend," Hiroya spoke to him.

"You were the man that showed up at the Yorozuya and paid us for some phony job!" Gintoki exclaimed.

"Sorry about that," Hiroya answered.

"It does not matter for the elite shall always succeed in the end," Sasaki interrupted.

"Why the hell are you on this?" Gintoki snapped at him.

"We elites work for other elites," Sasaki answered. "Besides, somebody had to have provided the information that Nakada-san needed." Sasaki flaunted his cellphone.

"You bastards," Gintoki clutched his bokuto. He was ready to fight.

* * *

**Nakada Estate (Inside) **

Tae regained her consciousness. She surveyed her surroundings, trying to quantify the situation at hand. She realized she was seated in a chair, fabulously decorated with ornaments, almost like a throne for a queen. She struggled to move her arms and legs, immediately noticing that they were cuffed with a very heavy metal.

Looking around, she saw she was a grand room, chandeliers hung from the ceilings, fine china and pots sat on polished tables on the edges of the wall. Her chair was on an elevated platform with stairs that connected them together. There were two large doors across the room, each guarded by goons. Tae felt from the visible information available as if she was in a castle.

"Awake, my love?" she heard a voice.

Soon she became face-to-face with the devil, Utamara. His left cheek was bandaged and she noticed that the left part of his upper body was stiff, as Utamara tried to not aggravate the injury he sustained.

_Piss off, _Tae wanted to yell at him. She couldn't, even though she could move, her vocal skills were still inhibited.

"Ah. I see that you have recovered from the paralyzer that Sasaki has put on you earlier. Pity you can't talk, but no matter, after today, I'll take care of you for the rest of your life." Utamara now paced around.

_"You will never get away with this. He'll come and stop you" _Tae continued on in her mind.

"Never get away with this? Don't chastise me to look like a villain here, I am merely a Prince Charming and you are my princess." Utamara seemed to have been able to understand what Tae was thinking.

"Sire, the silver samurai has been spotted approaching the vicinity," the courier announced.

"Excellent. Rattle him up and bring him here," Utamara demanded.

"He took out the gatekeepers already," the courier gulped.

Utamara flinched. This lowly samurai? Was he underestimating him?

"Send in Sasaki and Hiroya. Have them rattle him up and then bring him here for the execution."

The courier bowed and took off.

"Now we just wait, my love, I have the utmost confidence that my men will take care of that pathetic samurai," Utamara told Tae.

Tae did nothing. She couldn't do anything in this current situation. She just kept on thinking to herself.

_He'll come and save me. He'll be my hero like he has all these times. Yeah, this is it. This is my storybook ending. The prince coming to save the princess from the evil villain. Gintoki shall be that prince and I shall be his princess. After all this, we can be together. This is how my love story should be told. _

Tae began to blush, the mere thought of Gintoki coming to rescue her made her fluster.

"Sire, we have apprehended the intruder," the courier returned to the room to announce.

Tae wanted to scream. This was pure shock to her. How could this happen?

"Excellent, bring him here. I shall finish him off," Utamara began to chuckle. He skipped down the platform in delight as he waited for Gintoki to be brought in.

Two thugs brought in Gintoki. They dragged his body on the ground and threw it in front of Utamara.

"We have taken his sword, sire. So he won't be pulling anything," the thug announced to Utamara.

The two thugs then threw Gintoki onto the ground in front of Utamara. Gintoki tried to get up but managed to propel himself up with two knees. Tae saw the bruises on his face, blood coming out from his mouth. His body squirmed like a noodle when it hit the ground; it looked like he was completely unable to move.

She wanted to scream his name, rush over to his side to tend to his wounds. She couldn't do any of these things. She was powerless.

"Where are Sasaki and Hiroya?" Utamara asked his courier.

"Tending to their injuries," the courier answered. Utamara nodded his head; those two have served him well.

Tae still could not believe it. This is not how it was supposed to end, not this way.

"So you're the gentleman that Tae fell in love with?"

Gintoki did not speak. He only continued to look at Tae. Their eyes locked as Tae could see the sorrow and disappointment in Gintoki's face.

"By killing you right now, Samurai-san, then Tae will be free of any chains that tie her down." Utamara pulled out a gun.

_No. It can't end like this. No… _Tae thought. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. She knew it was to no avail and she was powerless to help. All she could do was look at Gintoki's eyes. She knew he was looking at her too. She knew that Gintoki would see the burning tears that were accumulating in her eyes. She knew that he would see her trying to scream his name but no sound will be made, just silence as Utamara cocked the gun and pointed it at his head.

_I'm sorry_ Tae mouthed as she watched Utamara put his finger on the trigger.

"Goodbye, Samurai," Utamara said with a smile. Victory was his.

Tae shook her head vigorously; it shouldn't end this way, not to him, not to her. She closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable.

Bang.

* * *

**Nakada Estate (Earlier) **

Gintoki held his sword tightly; he was furious. How could Sasaki betray all of them? Does this man know no honor?

"Wait a minute, Shiroyasha," Sasaki stopped Gintoki.

"Yes, please hear Sasaki-san out, Sakata-san," Hiroya pleaded.

"Why should I listen to you two?" Gintoki bit his lip.

Sasaki snapped his fingers. The thugs that surrounded them immediately dropped their swords.

"These men here are my men, alongside with a few Shinsengumi," Sasaki announced to Gintoki.

Gintoki glanced around, unmoving, and indeed noticed that they were not fit to be hooligans. He even saw Yamazaki amongst a group. Yamazaki waved at Gintoki and gave a smile and thumbs up.

"You have my attention," Gintoki spoke.

"You see, this is all a setup by us," a familiar voice came from behind Gintoki. It was Sougo. He stretched his arms and let out a yawn, possibly from a nap.

"Setup?" Gintoki muttered to himself.

"Remember that little birdie I talked about?" Sougo asked.

Gintoki nodded.

"It's Hiroya, here." Sougo revealed.

"Elitely, for years we have suspected that Nakada Utamara had laundered much of his money illegally. However, he was a clever man and covered his tracks well," Sasaki told Gintoki.

"But I couldn't live with myself doing such deeds of evil," Hiroya spoke this time.

"So I went to both Sasaki-san and Okita-san pleading to help stop this." He continued.

"Originally, our eliteness would've allowed us to arrest him as I got close to him as a cellphone buddy," Sasaki told Gintoki. "But he fell for your woman, Shimura Tae. He virtually stopped doing anything and focused on nothing but her."

"So we had to improvise, and when Sasaki discovered that Utamara planned to take Kondo-san and that Yagyuu girl and you out of the picture in order to get Otae, we came up with a different plan." Sougo spoke.

"I managed to persuade him that forging a relationship with the Yagyuu and sending the Shinsengumi officer off instead of killing them would have been much easier," Hiroya explained.

"And we factored you into the equation, and here we are," Sougo finished off.

"So what do we do now?" Gintoki begged the question.

"We beat you up a bit, that way you can get close to Utamara without causing any commotion. We don't want him attempting any shenanigans if we were to just go and arrest him. And he'll use a gun to try to execute you, not a sword, since your woman injured his entire left part of his body, and then when you stop him, these gentlemen will come and arrest him," Hiroya told Gintoki.

Gintoki was unsure of this, getting beat up? And why do they keep referring Otae as his woman?

"You heard the man, Boss. We beat you up a little bit, but it's gotta be convincing so that the Utamara guy would believe it," Sougo said. Gintoki stared in fear as Sougo smiled his sadistic smile and walked closer to him.

"That simply won't do, only someone as elite as us Mimawarigumi can make a beating look real and believable to someone of higher power," Sasaki cracked his knuckles.

Gintoki gulped. This was gonna be fun, he could just tell.

* * *

**Nakada Estate (Present)**

A gunshot rang in her ears, signaling the finishing of the deal. She was sorry for putting Gintoki into all this, sorry that he had to go this way, sorry that she never told him the truth. The subtle hints she gave him never seemed to have registered and she never had the courage to tell him. She opened her eyes, seeing what was remaining.

Gintoki had placed Utamara in a choke hold! The gun was out of his hands and on the ground.

In the strangest turn of events, Tae watched as Mimawarigumi and Shinsengumi both swarm the room like bees and surrounded Utamara! Among the two juxtaposing police forces were Sasaki and Sougo.

"Nakada Utamara, you are hereby under arrest by the law of the Bakufu," Sougo announced as he showed Nakada his police badge.

"For tax evasion, conspiracy, smuggling, human trafficking, money laundering and countless other charges," Sasaki finished for Sougo as he also presented his police badge.

"Take him away," Sougo ordered. Two officers took Utamara away.

Pure shock was written all over Utamara's face. He was so close, so very close to accomplishing his goal. Tae was his to keep but it all crashed down on him. Now the shock evaporated into a fume of anger.

"You backstabbed me, Sasaki! You police scum! I'm gonna get my revenge on all of you!" Utamara continued to yell as he was led away. The rest of the officers cleared the room, leaving Gintoki, Sasaki, Sougo and Tae.

"He'll be put on trial quite soon. Even if he has the money to hire an elite lawyer, he has so many counts of felony on him that even the best lawyers won't be able to help him escape," Sasaki spoke.

"Nice work today, Boss. As for the incident earlier today where you injured a Shinsengumi officer, I'll let that one slide. So you owe me on that one, dinner's on you! But you sure helped us secure some big fish today and he'll be in bars quite soon," Sougo thanked Gintoki.

"I presume Nakada won't get jail time," Sasaki declared.

"What? Why not?" Sougo asked.

"He'll most likely be put in an asylum. After observing him elitely for the past few weeks, I have come to the conclusion that he has a mild Histrionic, Antisocial, and Narcissistic Personality Disorders, the whole slew. All those are evident in him the way he has reacted and they have turned him to a scheming psychopath."

Sougo nodded. He patted Gintoki on the shoulder.

"We'll leave now. The Knight in Shining Armor has to go rescue his princess, right?" Sougo told him and they walked away.

Tae heard this conversation transpire: she finally realized what Sasaki was talking about before she blacked out.

_He's a good man. You should really treasure him before another woman gets him._

Tae wondered if Sasaki was referring to Gintoki, instead of Utamara. It does not matter because her Prince Charming has come to rescue her. Tae watched as Gintoki walked up the stairs, beaten and bruised, but so manly.

Tae just sat there, her feet and hands cuffed, waiting for the events to unfold before her. Her face was bright red, was this really happening to her?

Gintoki walked up the stairs and stopped right before Tae.

"Did I keep you waiting, Princess?" Gintoki asked.

Tae could not believe it. Did he really call her Princess? She watched with her jaw opened as Gintoki went onto one knee.

_Wait, is he really going to propose to me here? _

Gintoki was in the pose to ask for her hand in marriage but that wasn't his intention.

What am I thinking? Gintoki thought to himself. Did I really just call her Princess? All that talk with those jerks must've caused me to utter that cursed word. I have to play it cool now, don't wanna look bad in front of Tae.

Gintoki pulled out a key from inside his kimono. This was the key that Hiroya gave him to unlock these shackles. After finishing the unlocking of the leg chains, he stood up and looked at Tae. She looked away, her face as red as a chili pepper. Her forehead was burning, she was breathing heavily as Gintoki undid the shackles on her hands.

Tae watched the metal fall off her arms and onto the ground. She immediately embraced Gintoki.

"Thank you, Gin-san," Tae whispered to Gintoki. She couldn't feel more perfect right now, the feeling of flying while in the arms of the man she loved. But she felt tired, the emotional rollercoaster over the past few minutes was too much on her. And she blacked out again.

"Otae? Otae?" Gintoki caught her in his arms. He lifted her up and put her behind his back.

"I'm gonna get you to the hospital!" Gintoki told Tae. He ran as fast he had ever run before in his life. He didn't stop. He ran for what seemed like eternity.

* * *

**Hospital **

Tae opened her eyes. Everything was fuzzy. Her head still spun as she tried to recall the most recent incidents from her memory. She remembered being captured by Utamara, seeing Gintoki beaten and on the verge of death, then being rescued by him.

She scratched her head, trying to get more details out as she got up from the comfortable bed.

She was in a bed, covered in white sheets, wearing hospital clothes. She looked around and gasped as she saw someone passed out on the foot of her bed.

"Gin-san…" Tae whispered.

"Your boyfriend is really cute," someone spoke in the room. It was a nurse.

"Boyfriend?" Tae whispered softly.

"Yeah. You two are so cute as a couple, especially your boyfriend, he's been sitting there waiting for you for the two days you've been out."

"Two days?"

"Yes ma'am. Rumor has it that you were carried to the hospital by your boyfriend. It's really adorable!" the nurse giggled.

"Yeah…" Tae started rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, sorry!" the nurse exclaimed. "My name's Uchino, I'll be your nurse and caretaker if you need anything!" Nurse Uchino said with a smile.

_(Random Author's Note: Nurse Uchino is from Episode 90. Just wanted to randomly throw a character in here) _

Tae nodded and Nurse Uchino left. She began talking to somebody just outside the room of her room.

At this point, Gintoki began to wake up. He moaned as he lifted his head. He saw Tae, his eyes appear like he's still sleeping in a dreamy wonderland.

"'Sup?" he said as he yawned. He smacked his lips and raised his hands in the air to let out a moaning stretch. Then reality hit.

"Otae!" he exclaimed. His eyes wide open now. He embraced her.

"Gin-san…" Tae felt the warmth of his body as she too put her arms around his back.

"You've finally woken up," Gintoki spoke softly.

"Yeah…thank you, Gin-san."

Gintoki smiled, then his stomach grumbled. Barely eating for the last two days made him very hungry. Gintoki's face turned bright red as this romantic moment was turned upside down.

Tae started chuckling; this was the buffoon that she fell in love with.

"You know, Gin-san. I made cake for you and left it at your house," Tae said.

"But it's probably all stale now…" Tae continued with the sudden realization.

Gintoki smiled. "I'm sure that the cake is delicious, after all, your cooking is the finest in all of Edo."

Tae laughed, this moment was hers, a moment she shall remember forever, a moment to treasure, a moment to fall in love all over again.

**End**

* * *

_**Author's Last Note for This Chapter: Thanks for reading this fic! **_


End file.
